Juddmonte and Shadwell's late leaders well-represented
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Space is at a premium in the winner’s circle for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, with all those associated with the victorious horse crowding together for a once in a lifetime snapshot for the history books.
Yet should Mandaloun prevail in the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, or should Malathaat or Millefeuille find herself draped in lilies on Friday evening, there will be empty space in the winner’s circle due to the recent death of two titans of the sport.
Prince Khalid bin Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, known the world over for his powerhouse Juddmonte Farms breeding and racing operation, died in January at age 83. Just over two months later, Dubai’s Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum, owner of champions through his Shadwell Stables, died at age 75.
Morning-line favorite Malathaat will carry the colors of Shadwell on Friday in the Kentucky Oaks.
“I can’t put it into words,” said Rick Nichols, vice president and general manager for Shadwell in the United States. “I am sure [Sheikh Hamdan] is up there with a big smile on his face looking down on us.”
Malathaat will face Juddmonte homebred Millefeuille in the Oaks. One day later, Mandaloun, another Juddmonte homebred, will look to give the operation a bittersweet Kentucky Derby victory that it has come close to in the past.
Both Shadwell and Juddmonte are continuing their operations under family members of their respective founders. Sheikh Hamdan’s stallion operations span Shadwell Estate in Norfolk, England; sister operation Derrinstown Stud in Ireland; and Shadwell Farm in Lexington, Ky. Meanwhile, Prince Khalid’s sons and grandsons took an interest in his Thoroughbred operation, which is headquartered at Banstead Manor Stud near Newmarket, England, and also includes Juddmonte Farm near Lexington, Ky.
“It is business as usual, mainly due to the foresight of Prince Khalid, probably going back 10 or more years,” Garrett O’Rourke, manager for Juddmonte in the U.S., said of the transition. “Before we really knew what was in his mind, he was already preparing for the transition period and had a structure put in place so that it could transfer to his family and give them the option what to do. It’s a tighter model than it used to be, and hopefully we’re going to be able to keep the quality at the same level. We’ve had a nice run lately, and these big horses make all the difference in making everybody enjoy the whole stable.”
Both Shadwell and Juddmonte are looking for milestone victories this weekend. Shadwell, which campaigned 2006 Belmont Stakes winner Jazil, has never won the Kentucky Oaks. Juddmonte, which bred and raced 2001 Oaks winner Flute and 2003 Belmont winner Empire Maker, has never won a Kentucky Derby. Both operations captured many of the sport’s other major events the world over.
Sheikh Hamdan was the older brother of Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai and the founder of international powerhouse Godolphin, which sends out Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality on Saturday. Sheikh Hamdan entered Thoroughbred ownership himself in 1980 and won multiple classics across Europe, including a pair with Nashwan. The colt’s victories included the English 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. Sheikh Hamdan also campaigned 1990 English Horse of the Year Dayjur, and, more recently, last year’s Cartier Award European champion sprinter Battaash. He was champion flat owner in Britain nine times, including 2019 and 2020.
In the United States, Shadwell is known for campaigning Invasor, the Uruguayan Triple Crown winner who captured the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic to secure Horse of the Year honors. Invasor went on to win the 2007 Dubai World Cup. Later that season, Lahudood captured the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf and earned an Eclipse Award divisional title, helping Shadwell secure the outstanding owner award that season.
Shadwell also campaigned the 1999 Dubai World Cup winner Almutawakel, and won two editions of the Melbourne Cup, Australia’s most famous race. The operation also landed the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile with Tamarkuz.
In addition to its success with homebreds, Shadwell is a perennial leader in the global yearling marketplace to add to its pipeline. Malathaat was a $1.05 million purchase out of the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale, and has justified the price tag by winning all four of her starts to date, including the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland to make herself the Oaks favorite.
“I think she might be pretty special,” Nichols said. “We’ll see what we can get done.”
A year prior to the death of Sheikh Hamdan, Shadwell faced another transition that directly impacted Malathaat. Kiaran McLaughlin, who trained Invasor, Jazil, Lahudood, and others for Shadwell, announced his retirement from training in March 2020. His horses went to Todd Pletcher, who had admired the yearling Malathaat enough to be an underbidder at Keeneland.
“She was really high on our draft board,” Pletcher said. “I told Kiaran after the sale, ‘Wow, I hope you get that filly, she’s a really nice filly.’ And then, as it transpired, we were fortunate enough to pick her up. She’s just been a star from day one.”
Juddmonte is also dealing with another transition in its European operations, as Teddy Grimthorpe stepped down as racing manager in April, after more than two decades in the position.
“I have always felt that the time for me to stand down from Juddmonte would be when Prince Khalid was no longer involved,” Grimthorpe said in a statement.
Prince Khalid began his involvement with Thoroughbreds in 1977 and had quick success. He earned his first Group 1 victory with the juvenile Known Fact just two years later, and then his first classic victory when Known Fact was elevated to victory in the 1980 English 2000 Guineas. Other top horses campaigned by Juddmonte in its early years included Dancing Brave, honored as the 1986 British Horse of the Year when his major victories included the 2000 Guineas and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Juddmonte homebred Frankel was honored as European Horse of the Year in 2011 and 2012 as he went unbeaten in 14 career starts, including 10 Group 1’s. Five years later, homebred Enable came along and was honored as Horse of the Year in 2017 and 2019. Her 11 Grade 1/Group 1 victories included consecutive wins in the 2017-18 Arc de Triomphe, and the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs, making her the only horse to ever win those races in the same year.
Frankel and Enable led Juddmonte’s recent success in Europe, where overall, its runners have accounted for 21 Cartier Racing Award titles, including another Horse of the Year title with Kingman. Juddmonte was honored with the Cartier Award of Merit in 2002, and Team Frankel earned that award in 2012.
Juddmonte is responsible for 16 Eclipse Award championships in North America, including titles as outstanding breeder in 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2009, and outstanding owner in 1992, 2003, 2016, and 2017. Juddmonte has sent out seven Breeders’ Cup winners, including 2016 Classic winner Arrogate and three winners of the Filly and Mare Turf in Banks Hill (2001), Intercontinental (2005), and Midday (2009). In 2018, when Enable captured the Turf, Juddmonte also had Mile winner Expert Eye. Rounding out the group is 2008 Filly and Mare Sprint winner Ventura. All but Arrogate were homebreds, and Juddmonte is the Breeders’ Cup’s leading owner and breeder by money won.
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Juddmonte has sent out five starters in the Kentucky Derby, finishing second with Aptitude (2000) and Empire Maker (2003), and with Tacitus (2019) elevated to third by a disqualification. All three of those were homebreds, but in recent years, Juddmonte has moved to purchase additional horses to target major dirt races in the U.S. Arrogate, for example, was famously purchased specifically to fit trainer Bob Baffert’s program.
Mandaloun, however, is a homebred. The Into Mischief colt, who won the Risen Star before finishing a puzzling sixth in the Louisiana Derby, is out of an Empire Maker mare. That twist would be especially sweet, as it was Empire Maker’s loss as the favorite in the 2003 Kentucky Derby, with Prince Khalid in attendance, that led Prince Khalid to double down on his pursuit of the classic.
“I think that solidified his ambition to try and get more horses into the Derby,” O’Rourke said.
“It would be very emotional. We’re a team that has been together for a long, long time. . . . People that were very close, that Prince Khalid knew very well, every time he came in to visit. There is a family feel to the operation, and we’d love to win it for him. It was a goal, and it’s one of the true big races that, unfortunately, we haven’t accomplished. So I think it would be something that would give tremendous pleasure to everyone at Juddmonte to finally win it for Prince Khalid.”